The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved new sanctions against North Korea, one week after the country carried out another nuclear test reported to the 6th and largest missile test carried out by Pyongyang. The new sanctions which seek to starve North Korea of fuel and revenue for its nuclear programme restrict oil imports and ban textiles exports.
The sanctions were passed on Monday after Russia and China facilitated a milder sanction contrary to stiffer sanctions proposed by the US. The United States was pressured to water down the initial draft which sought total ban on oil imports, asset freeze and a travel ban on North Korean leader, Kim Jong UN.
US Ambassador to UN, Nikki Haley who spoke after the meeting said "today, we are saying the world will never accept a nuclear armed North Korea, and today the Security Council is saying that if the North Korean regime does not halt its nuclear program, we will act to stop it ourselves. We are done trying to prod the regime to do the right thing, we are now trying to stop it from having the ability to do the wrong thing," she added.
The newly approved sanctions imposed by the UN include;
Limits on imports of crude oil and oil products. China, Pyongyang's main economic ally, supplies most of North Korea's crude oil.
A ban on exports of textiles, which is Pyongyang's second-biggest export worth more than $700m (£530m) a year.
A ban on new visas for North Korean overseas workers, which the US estimates would eventually cut off $500m of tax revenue per year.
Meanwhile, North Korea officials have condemned the new sanction. They posited that the pressure from the US was only putting the security of Washington at risk.
"Hostile sanctions are like a delusion tantamount to expecting foolishly that the ocean would dry up. As long we have a very powerful nuclear arsenal, we can ensure the security and peace of the homeland and its people," an official told CNN.
